News of another Dem superdelegate endorsing Obambi reminds us that Hillary! may be hoist by her own petard. She has made the case that superdelegates were intended to exercise independent judgment, not merely echo primary election results in their polities. But the judgment they may make is to end the fractious Dem primary sooner rather than later, by voting for Obambi, the more likely eventual victor. Her claim that she is the stronger candidate against McCain is theoretical at best, and not the only consideration.

The young girl, now a young woman, who was either (a) at no risk because the Tuzla air base was secure or (b) used as a human shield by Hillary! against sniper fire has stepped forward with her recollections. She is going with (a).

Today, McCain stumps in Meridian, MS, where he served as a flight instructor and where an airfield is named after his grandfather. Per excerpts of his speech, McCain will discuss his family’s lifetime of service, as well as his thoughts on how the government can support parents’ ability to raise their children. On Tuesday, he’s at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA, where he graduated from high school. On Wednesday, it’s to Annapolis, MD, where he attended the US Naval Academy. On Thursday, he heads to Pensacola and Jacksonville, FL, where he served stateside.

... never speak if you can nod, never nod if you can wink. And never fill out a candidate questionnaire, then deny you did:

During his first run for elected office, Barack Obama played a greater role than his aides now acknowledge in crafting liberal stands on gun control, the death penalty and abortion — positions that appear at odds with the more moderate image he has projected during his presidential campaign.

The evidence comes from an amended version of an Illinois voter group’s detailed questionnaire, filed under his name during his 1996 bid for a state Senate seat.

Late last year, in response to a Politico story about Obama’s answers to the original questionnaire, his aides said he "never saw or approved" the questionnaire.

They asserted the responses were filled out by a campaign aide who "unintentionally mischaracterize[d] his position."

But a Politico examination determined that Obama was actually interviewed about the issues on the questionnaire by the liberal Chicago nonprofit group that issued it. And it found that Obama — the day after sitting for the interview — filed an amended version of the questionnaire, which appears to contain Obama’s own handwritten notes added to one answer.

[...]

"Sen. Obama didn’t fill out these state Senate questionnaires — a staffer did — and there are several answers that didn’t reflect his views then or now," Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for Obama’s campaign, said in an e-mailed statement. "He may have jotted some notes on the front page of the questionnaire at the meeting, but that doesn’t change the fact that some answers didn’t reflect his views. His 11 years in public office do."

In other words, those responses reflect the views of Obambi’s hand, not his brain. (Via NRO Corner.)

Sunday, 30 March 2008

"Mookie" al-Sadr has decided again that ceasefire/retreat mode is the most effective way to keep his forces from being slaughtered by a combination of US and increasingly-competent Iraqi forces. The surprise for him this time around was the willingness of Prime Minister al-Maliki to confront and defeat him. I think the PM has decided that a rival Shiite pol is something he can do better with out.

The AP’s writer uses "Honky Tonk Women" to make a cute little joke about Hillary!’s appreciation for the Rolling Stones. Given her standing with the Dems right now, some other Stones tunes came to my mind: "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction," "The Last Time," and "It’s All Over Now." And this being Hillary!, "Beast of Burden" and "Heart of Stone" would be appropriate as well. (Via Lucianne.)